Julio Cortazar: Short Stories Lesson Plan

Freezing Time: Image vs. Reality

Kind of Activity:

Role Play

Objective:

Students will choose whether to complete a group task or an individual exercise to explore the themes of stillness, motion, reality, and illusion.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5

Structure:

In several of his stories, Cortázar explores the contrast between stillness and motion. On the one hand, the fixedness and rigidity of a posture does not reveal the full, dynamic picture of our humanity–weaknesses, inflexibility, shadow side, and...